Antidiarrhoeal activity of Acacia nilotica Willd

Acacia nilotica Willd. Subsp. indica (Family- Mimosaceae) bark is used for treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, liver disorders, inflammation in ethnomedicinal practices. This bark was undertaken to study antidiarrhoeal activity using suitable battery of test. Bark powder of Acacia nilotica was successively extracted with petroleum ether, methanol and distilled water. Solvents from these extracts were removed under reduced temperature and pressure. Exploratory studies revealed presence of significant antidiarrhoeal activity only to methanol extract of Acacia nilotica (AN). This extract was studied using battery of tests consisting of castor oil and magnesium sulphate induced diarrhoea and barium chloride induced peristalsis using Swiss albino mice and in vitro antimicrobial activity against common micro-organisms causing diarrhoea. This extract showed action against castor oil, magnesium sulphate induced diarrhoea and enteropooling activity due to castor oil treatment as well as on normal as well as barium chloride induced peristalsis of small intestine significantly in mice, so also antimicrobial activity against common pathogens responsible for diarrhoea in vitro. Thus, results of above study are supporting the ethnomedicinal use of Acacia nilotica bark for the treatment of diarrhoea.